The pass gave the referee a chance in the bronze match.
Referee expert Jonas Ericsson confirmed this in the SVT studio before kick-off.
– It’s a gift from FIFA, says Erickson.
The topic of conversation ahead of the World Cup bronze medal match between Croatia and Morocco was referee Abdulrahman Al-Jassem.
Among other things, the captain of the Croatian national team, Zlatko Dalic, spoke about the fact that the 35-year-old is from Qatar.
– Frankly, Fifa took a big risk, Dalic said the day before the match.
Publication of elections
Right before the match, Jonas Ericsson watched the appointment of the FIFA referee in the SVT studio.
– You appoint a referee who officiated a World Cup match (between USA and Wales). Eriksson says it is a clear sign that they did not trust him earlier during the tournament.
The former World Cup referee continues:
He gets the game and it depends a lot on the passes he has. He is from Qatar and it is a gift from FIFA to return to Qatar that they appoint a referee who has no credentials and no knowledge, in my opinion anyway, and he did not have the competence and showed the quality that would be required for such a match here. Because this is not an easy match to judge.
“It’s politics”
Jonas Ericsson believes it is a common political gesture by FIFA to release referees from the home team.
– There are much better referees than Asia who should have given this match, but it’s politics and it’s related to sport as we know it. At least during this tournament, he says.
